Section 4.1
My Advice

Over my four years at JMU and even longer in the IT field, I have come very aware of what it takes to land a good career. My tips are as follows:

Certifications

Many positions are only seeking  someone that has attained a certain certification. If you have not attained it, you need not apply. The few that I see requested most often are MCSE, A+, and CCNA. If you get one of them, you're pretty much guaranteed to find yourself employers that will welcome you with open arms. If you get more than one of them, you're in the money.

Education

At the very least you need a bachelor's degree. If you don't, you can't expect to exceed a mid-level position. With a degree you not only learn more, but you experience college, and starting salaries are higher. Companies also tend to look at someone with a degree as a dependable and hard-working person - it isn't mandatory that people go to college. If you're really looking to attain a high-level position you may also want to look in to a Master's. I have found however, that a Master's in computing doesn't pay off as well as it does in other fields - if you're really set on it, go for it. Otherwise, you can abstain. Even if you can only take night classes while you work it is better than nothing. Stay in school. At this moment I'd recommend taking a heavy course load in classes dealing with security, networking, and databases - they seem to be the hot fields to be in. I would also recommend taking courses in Technical and Scientific Communication, a person that writes intelligently is a great asset to any corporation.

Experience

Get all the experience you can. This cannot be stressed enough. Experience is everything in the IT field, there is only so much books can teach you, practice molds you in to what you are regarding computers. Even if you are only offered an unpaid internship you need to take it. The skills learned over the course of it far outweigh any monetary value.

Interview/Resume

You need to remember image is everything. A decent, clean person or document will always get the nod over the ugly, dirty specimen. At the least wear a tie, think about a full suit.

Conclusion

The IT field is a great one to get in to. As long as you put your mind to it, do your schoolwork, do some outside work on your own, and maintain a positive outlook and image it really isn't hard to secure an internship or full-time position that pays well and most likely has a great work environment.

<4.0 My Thoughts | Home | 4.2 Internship Value>